The present invention relates to an electronic bulletin board system operated on a network, more particularly to an information processing technology which checks contents of a message to be posted on the electronic bulletin board automatically and in advance, and reports checking results to an operation manager of the electronic bulletin board automatically.
The electronic bulletin board system has been used widely in the world of personal computer communications and the Internet. The electronic bulletin board system is managed by a server computer which is managed by a managing company, and the server computer stores a message sent through a network in a database, and manages it. In addition, the server computer provides contents of the database to a user""s computer accessed thereto.
In many current electronic bulletin board systems, a message sent through the network is posted as it is, without checking its contents particularly. Accordingly, a message inadequate to be posted on the electronic bulletin board, for example, the one which speaks ill of other persons or degrades dignity of the electronic bulletin board system may often be posted. This arouses one""s interest as a social problem, and speedy countermeasure is required.
In many cases, therefore, an operation manager himself of the electronic bulletin board system frequently checks the posted contents of the electronic bulletin board managed by him by means of reading them through a computer screen. If an inadequate message is posted thereon, the operation manager tries to keep the dignity of the electronic bulletin board by performing an operation in which an operation manager computer accesses a server computer of the electronic bulletin board system to delete such a message and to give a warning to a person who posted the message. This operation is very troublesome, and vast man power is necessary when the server computer manages a large number of electronic bulletin boards. In addition, even though such operations are done with vast man power, it is not always possible to prevent the dignity of the electronic bulletin board from going down caused by the posting of the improper message.
There is a utilization style in which plural users"" computers access the electronic bulletin board simultaneously and each user converse with others through letters of their messages posted. This is called xe2x80x9cchatxe2x80x9d, and very popular. Once someone posts an improper message in a chat service, it influences on other persons instantaneously to make more following improper messages posted and posted, often resulting in a disturbance state. If the disturbance state occurs, it not only breaks down the dignity of the electronic bulletin board, but also develops sometimes to a situation that might be carefully considered to prevent an adverse social effect. Even though the operation manager monitors contents of chats by means of watching the electronic bulletin board earnestly, it was not easy to prevent such a disturbance state from occurring. Urgent stop of the operation of the bulletin board is the utmost that the operation manager could do.
The object of the present invention is to provide an electronic bulletin board system which inhibits postings of improper messages automatically and in advance, while keeping natural communications being performed through an electronic bulletin board, and has a function to inform an operation manager of the fact that the improper messages were just ready to be posted.
First Invention
An electronic bulletin board system of the first invention comprises a server computer communicating with user""s computers through a network, performing an information mediate between the user""s computers by an electronic bulletin board function. The electronic bulletin board system sends out a message registration screen in response to a request from any user""s computer; acquires information written on the message registration screen by a person who wishes to post a message from the user""s computer; checks the posting-desired message in the information written on the message registration screen, with reference to a post-prohibited word list where a post-prohibited word list including words preliminary selected as those which are inadequate to be posted on an electronic bulletin board are registered; registers the message in the electronic bulletin board when the message includes no word in the post-prohibited word list; and sends out a letter screen saying that the message cannot be posted toward the user""s computer which has originated that message when the message includes any word in the post-prohibited word list, and gets a computer of an operation manager of the electronic bulletin board system notified of the event of rejecting the posting of the message.
Second Invention
In the second invention, the electronic bulletin board system according to the first invention manages many electronic bulletin boards which can be individually accessed and provides the electronic bulletin boards to the user""s computers; keeps notification addresses of the operating managers, who are composed of many bulletin board managers who sponsor the electronic bulletin boards respectively, and a system manager who manages the server computer including all of these electronic bulletin boards; and sends out a letter screen saying that the message cannot be posted toward the user""s computer which has originated that message, and gets computers of the bulletin board managers and the system manager notified of the event that the message is rejected to post, when the message includes any word in the post-prohibited word list.
Third Invention
In the third invention, the electronic bulletin board system according to the second invention is such that the posting-prohibited word list is logically divided into a common word list compiled for all of the electronic bulletin boards and individual word lists compiled individually for individual electronic bulletin boards; and the electronic bulletin board system does not get the computer of the system manager notified, when the posting-prohibited words included in the posting-desired message for a certain electronic bulletin board are not the ones in the common word list but the ones in the individual word list for that electronic bulletin board.
Fourth Invention In the fourth invention, the electronic bulletin board system according to the third invention is such that the electronic bulletin board system communicates with the bulletin board manger computer, and compiles the individual word list of posting-prohibited words for the corresponding electronic bulletin board in response to a request of the bulletin board manager.
Fifth Invention
In the fifth invention, the electronic bulletin board system according to the first invention is such that the electronic bulletin board system prepares a heed-required word list in addition to the posting-prohibited word list, and words previously selected as those to be heeded about a social reaction even though the message is allowed to be posted are registered in the heed-required word list; checks the posting-desired message with reference to the heed-required word list in addition to the posting-prohibited word list; and gets the computer of the operation manager of the electronic bulletin board system notified of the event of posting the message including the heed-required words on the electronic bulletin board, when the posting-desired message includes any word in the heed-required word list and no word in the posting-prohibited word list.
Sixth Invention
In the sixth invention, the electronic bulletin board system according to the fifth invention gets the computers of the bulletin board manager and the system manager notified of the event that the message including the heed-required words is posted, when the posting-desired message for a certain electronic bulletin board includes any word in the heed-required word list.
Seventh Invention
In the seventh invention, the electronic bulletin board system according to the sixth invention is such that the heed-required word list is logically divided into a common word list compiled for all of the electronic bulletin boards and individual word lists compiled individually for individual electronic bulletin boards; and the electronic bulletin board system does not get the computer of the system manager notified, when the heed-required words included in the posting-desired message for a certain electronic bulletin board are not the ones in the common word list but the ones in the individual word list for that electronic bulletin board.
Eighth Invention
In the eighth invention, the electronic bulletin board system according to the seventh invention communicates with the bulletin board manger computer, and compiles the individual word list of heed-required words for the corresponding electronic bulletin board in response to a request of the bulletin board manager.
Ninth Invention
In the ninth invention, the electronic bulletin board system according to any one of the first to eighth inventions gets the computer of the operation manager notified by sending an electronic mail informing the respective events to the electronic mail address of the corresponding operation manager.